Tag: Norwalk CT

Haunted Lighthouse Cruise offers Fearsome and Friendly Family Fun August 3 & 4

One day of Halloween just isn’t enough for some Halloween enthusiasts! Not to worry, the Seaport Association of Norwalk has a magical brew of events that will thrill young and old alike on the Haunted Lighthouse Cruise to Sheffield Island taking place on August 3 and 4. This fun-filled, child–friendly event is perfect for a family summer outing…and, best of all the chance for kids to dress up in their favorite costume before October 31! To reserve your tickets https://www.seaport.org/Haunted-Lighthouse

A 45-minute cruise through Long Island Sound listening to tales of the sea sets the stage as passengers approach the 150-year-old Sheffield Island Lighthouse that is located on a wind and wave-swept deserted Island. The only way to find out what fearsome and friendly spirits reside here is to hop off the CJ Toth ferry and get ready to explore this uniquely spooktacular place with its abandoned lighthouse that has attracted supernatural beings every August for centuries.

Witches and wizards have carefully decorated the rooms of the Sheffield Lighthouse with added touches by the ghosts of lighthouse keepers that lived here in lonely isolation for long periods of time. In these rooms, visitors will find all manner of otherworldly fun – it is where spooks, spirits, spiders, sea witches, and creatures of the night abound.

It is horrifically fun to roam through the rooms of the lighthouse that seem to twist and turn and where there is a surprise around every corner! There is even one very special room that is completely dark where only the strong of heart and pure of mind should dare enter

Tickets and Times
The Haunted Lighthouse Cruise takes place on August 3 and 4 and the ferry leaves at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. on both days from the Seaport’s Dock located on 4 North Water Street in South Norwalk. It is best to arrive 30 minutes prior to departure in order to snag the best seat and to facilitate boarding the ferry. The ferry only carries 49 passengers by law so advance reservations are strongly recommended. To reserve your tickets for this horrifically fun event click here https://www.seaport.org/Haunted-Lighthouse

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Annual Old Fashioned Flea Market at Lockwood Mathews Mansion

For anyone who loves to hunt for treasures, repurposed furniture, decorative accessories, and curiosities of all kinds, the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum’s Old Fashioned Flea Market is the place to be. The event, will take place on Sunday, September 18, 2016, 10 a.m. -5 p.m. at 295 West Avenue in Norwalk, CT, in Mathews Park.

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Whether you enjoy bargains, face-painting, or a stroll down memory lane, this is such an enjoyable event as it offers something to everyone. The highlight of this event is than 80 vendors that will offer a variety of items from new, and used, to vintage. Treasures for sale include an interesting assortment of antiques, furniture, collectibles, jewelry, household items, clothing, and toys. The adventure of this event is that you never know what you will find!

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Another highlight of this event is the classic and antique car show that is sure to delight the car buffs in the group. Shop while listening to swing and jazz music from 12p.m. -1 p.m. Afterward, students from The Pop Music Academy, located in Stamford will delight the audience with contemporary music from 2:30-3:30 p.m. A flea market favorite is the all-American BBQ courtesy of Stew Leonard’s and Michael Gilmartin’s Outdoor Cookers Catering & Event Planning. A highlight is the antique and classic car show from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. that gives visitors the opportunity to chat with car owners.

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The Museum will also be open for mini-tours from 12 noon to 4 p.m.. Visitors will be invited to walk throughout the Museum’s period rooms on the first floor and view an iconic Victorian era mansion for only $5.
The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum is a National Historic Landmark. For more information on schedules and programs please visit www.lockwoodmathewsmansion.com, e-mail info@lockwoodmathewsmansion.com, or call 203-838-9799.

About the Flea Market

Proceeds will benefit the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum. The Museum has donated several booths to area nonprofits who will share their message and mission with attendees.

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For the love of Trees in Norwalk – the annual Tree Festival

The Connecticut Tree Festival, Norwalk’s annual spring tribute to leafy greenery is set for Cranbury Park, located on Grumman Ave. on Saturday, May 17 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., rain or shine.

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This family fun festival will be both entertaining and educational for the whole family with up to 40 exhibition booths on a U-shaped midway making it easy to explore. Best of all, this event is free, everything in the park is free to the public–admission, parking, door prizes, even a picnic-style lunch.

There are demonstrations of how trees are planted, trimmed and moved as well as information on how to care for trees. Bring a twig and leaf from home and look for the “Ask the Arborist” signs, certified arborists are on-site to help identify trees, foliage or unusual conditions. In a mid-day ceremony, an eastern redbud tree is to be planted to honor the late Dick Aime who died last year at age 93 after many years as secretary of the Norwalk Tree Alliance.

For kids there is face painting, scavenger hunts, and arts and crafts activities. A highlight of the event are the cherry-pickers located around the midway that offers kids rides to the tree tops and tells them about the importance of tree care.

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Popular exhibitors include: the Wolf Conservation Center from South Salem New York, Wildlife in Crisis of Weston, CT, Earthplace of Westport and Connecticut’s Search and Rescue dog team.

Appearing for the first time is the Art Academy of Weir Farm in Wilton with a booth on the midway and a display of arboreal art called “A Celebration of Trees” in the neighboring Gallaher Mansion.

For additional information about this event visit https://www.ioby.org/project/2014-connecticut-tree-festival. For information on Fairfield County visit www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

About Cranbury Park

This is an expansive parkland of 227 acres that has a series of wooded trails, and a challenging 18- hold disc golf course. Also on the grounds is the Gallager Mansion built in 1913 by industrialist/inventor Edward Beach Gallaher. This limestone Tudor Revival mansion is styled with carvings, stained-glass windows and Walnut paneled rooms. It includes a large terrace and adjacent garden that make it perfect venue for outdoor entertaining. It’s available to rent for meetings, events, luncheons and weddings. The Carriage House Arts Center is located adjacent to the mansion. Contact Recreation and Parks for details. (203) 854-7806 or http://www.norwalkct.org/Facilities/Facility/Details/1

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Holiday Treats at the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk

Santa Claus will be popping up at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, including a few scuba dives in with the sharks, as part of the Connecticut attraction’s schedule of bonus holiday offerings in December.

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Back by popular demand, “The Polar Express” steams back onto The Maritime Aquarium’s giant IMAX screen for a limited holiday engagement. Based on the 1986 Caldecott Award-winning book by Chris Van Allsburg, “The Polar Express” follows a young boy who doubts the existence of Santa Claus but gets taken on a magical Christmas Eve trip to the North Pole.

Digitally re-mastered into the immersive IMAX format, the animated film has Tom Hanks lending his voice and likeness to several main roles, including the train conductor, a mysterious hobo and Santa Claus.
“The Polar Express” will play through Dec. 22 at 4 & 7:30 p.m. Fridays & Saturdays and at 4 p.m. Sundays. From Dec. 26-Jan. 1, “The Polar Express” will play at 4 & 7:30 p.m. daily (except just at 4 p.m. on Dec. 31). Confirm show times at www.maritimeaquarium.org.

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On select dates in December, Santa Claus will join The Maritime Aquarium’s dive team to demonstrate that sharks aren’t the blood-thirsty killers of myth. Santa will strap on scuba gear and enter the Aquarium’s 110,000-gallon “Ocean Beyond the Sound” exhibit, which is home to 7-foot sand tiger and lemon sharks. It’s all part of the regular dive-team program, in which Aquarium visitors can see – and talk with – divers swimming in the exhibit on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 12:15 & 2:15 p.m.

Check the Aquarium’s website – http://www.maritimeaquarium.org – for specific dates when Santa can pull himself away from the North Pole and exchange his snow boots for swim fins. Viewing the Santa shark dives is free with Aquarium admission.

While visiting the Aquarium, don’t forget to cast your vote for your favorite lighthouse. Once again the Aquarium displays an imaginative array of handcrafted lighthouses at the 12th annual Lighthouse Holiday Exhibit.

For area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

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Secret of Circles at Stepping Stones Museum for Children

What do a bagel, a ball and a banana all have in common? Cut them through the center and each one has a circle inside! Circles are extremely familiar because they are simply everywhere, but why? The solution to this mystery and many others can be found by exploring Secrets of Circles, a new 2,000-square foot exhibit at Stepping Stones Museum for Children through January 5, 2014.

Circles are pretty amazing shapes. If you look around, you’ll find them in the wheels of a car, the clocks on the wall, the Frisbees you play with or the tortillas on your table. So simple, and yet so incredibly powerful, the circle is found in many places in nature and has been used in many ways by people throughout time and across cultures. But why are they so ubiquitous? What makes them the best shape for both pizza and a barrel? What other secrets can they possibly have?

Discover the secrets at Stepping Stones this fall. Explore this intriguing phenomenon with eighteen interactive, original components that place visitors at the center of experiences rich with the math, science, engineering, and beauty of circles. Whether you are drawing a perfect glow-in-the-dark circle at the Compass Table or building your own gear contraptions in Gear UP!, children and adults alike are uncovering the properties of a simple shape with powerful applications.

Circles are one of the first shapes that very young children learn to identify. As children get older, studying circles helps them understand basic STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) concepts. The exhibit is not only educational, but provides hands-on activities that are really fun for children and families.

Secrets of Circles is designed to intrigue a wide range of ages, as well as visitors from different backgrounds. Signage is tri-lingual, (English, Spanish, and Vietnamese) and spaces are wheelchair accessible. The rich colors, beautiful bamboo plywood, eco-friendly building materials, and cultural and historical artifacts within the exhibit represent people and circles from around the world and over time. The exhibit will inspire many questions and encourage further investigation.

Visit Secrets of Circles and your world will suddenly be transformed into a delicious puzzle for your investigation. After all, circles are everywhere, and each circle has a secret for you to uncover!

ABOUT STEPPING STONES MUSUEM FOR CHILDREN

Stepping Stones Museum for Children is an award-winning, private, non-profit 501 (c)(3) children’s museum committed to broadening and enriching the lives of children and families. For more information about Stepping Stones, to book a field trip or schedule a class, workshop or facility rental call 203-899-0606 or visit http://www.steppingstonesmuseum.org.

Stepping Stones Museum for Children is located at 303 West Avenue, Norwalk, CT, exit 14 North and 15 South off I-95. Museum hours are: Memorial Day through Labor Day, Monday-Sunday from 10 am-5 pm; and Labor Day through Memorial Day, Tuesday—Sunday and holiday Mondays from 10 am-5pm. Admission is $15 for adults and children and $10 for seniors. Children under 1 are free. To learn more visit www.steppingstonesmuseum.org or call 203 899 0606.

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Vijay Kumar: Etchings, A Retrospective at Center for Contemporary Printmaking

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The fall exhibition, featuring a splendid array of original prints by Vijay Kumar, at the The Center for Contemporary Printmaking (CCP), 299 West Ave., in Mathews Park, Norwalk runs through Sunday, November 3, 2013. The Gallery is open Monday through Saturday 9 am to 5 pm, and Sunday, 12 to 5 pm; it is closed Columbus Day and Veterans Day and admission is free.

A narrative is apparent in all of Vijay Kumar’s artworks. When Vijay was a child, he and his family left their home, during the religious strife that troubled India as the country gained its independence from Britain. Traveling the world — from India to the Middle East, Europe and the United States — his artistic focus has centered on the geometry of urban spaces. In the fall exhibition, many pieces are untitled and are essentially architectural, linear jumbles such as stacked houses and buildings. The eighteen prints in the series “India Portfolio,” reflect the sorrow and loss of the refugee. In the background, a New York Times article from Dec 11, 1992, published the headline “Hatreds of India.” Abstracted figures set in conflict or in positions of mourning dominate the series.

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Born in Lehore (then part of India) and based in New York City, Vijay Kumar has had numerous solo exhibitions of his drawings, prints and paintings in the United States and abroad. Vijay is the curator for the Indo-American Arts Council’s annual Erasing Borders Exhibition of Contemporary Indian Art of the Diaspora. He has also curated print shows in New York and Ohio in the United States, and in India. Mr. Kumar teaches printmaking at several graphics centers in New York City, and at the Center for Contemporary Printmaking, in Norwalk, Connecticut.

About the Center for Contemporary Printmaking

The Center for Contemporary Printmaking (CCP) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the art of the print: intaglio, lithography, monotype, silkscreen, woodblock printing, paperworks, book arts, and digital arts. Housed in a handsome 19th-century stone carriage house, this 5,000- square-foot historical landmark is located at 299 West Avenue in Mathews Park, in Norwalk Connecticut. CCP workshops, gallery, and offices are open Monday through Saturday, 9 am – 5 pm, and Sunday, 12 – 5 pm. The Grace Ross Shanley Gallery features acclaimed exhibitions throughout the year, and is handicapped accessible. Artists who participate in the Artist-in-Residence Program have the opportunity to live and work in the Helen Frankenthaler Printmaking Cottage, adjacent to the main building. Edition printing is offered by the CCP Master Printer and Associate Printer. For more information, please call 203-899-7999 or visit www.contemprints.org. The Center for Contemporary Printmaking is a member of the statewide Connecticut Art Trail, a partnership of seventeen world-class museums and historic sites.

For area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

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